Join us in going Up the Hill for Jack and Jill this summer and help put the FUN into Fundraising as we take to the hills to support families with in-home nursing care, in communities right across Ireland.
We are excited to announce the launch of our Up the Hill for Jack and Jill summer fundraiser! This year, we are honoured to have the backing of Irish sporting legends from the worlds of GAA and Rugby, who have united to and support our cause, and our families, and inspire communities nationwide to participate in this exciting summer initiative that will raise vital funds to support the families under our care.
Our ninth annual Up the Hill campaign aims to raise over €75,000 to support Jack and Jill’s in-home nursing care for children with highly complex and life-limiting medical conditions. This fundraising target equates to more than 4,167 hours of in-home nursing care and respite support, a lifeline for over 400 families currently under our care across Ireland.
Our Up the Hill for Jack and Jill fundraising campaign kick-off witnessed an incredible show of unity, as sporting heroes across the GAA and rugby worlds gathered in Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green on a sunny morning. Connacht Rugby captain and our ambassador, Jack Carty, teamed up with Dublin Footballer Sinéad Wylde, Meath Footballer Vikki Wall, and Laois Hurler Ross King to encourage everyone to go the extra mile this summer. Sinéad, Vikki and Ross are all members of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), and we are hugely appreciative of their partnership, as 32 remarkable inter-county players have pledged to support the campaign in their respective counties, mobilising their teammates and supporters to get behind the campaign too.
We are also incredibly grateful to global healthcare company, Abbott, for their generous support of this campaign, helping us in our efforts to reach new audiences and encourage more participation.
Join us in going Up the Hill for Jack and Jill in 2023 and help raise vital funds for families across Ireland.
For Connacht Rugby’s Jack Carty, this is his second year participating in Up the Hill for Jack and Jill. He said –
“It was actually my dad, Ted, who introduced me to the work of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation… The family pork and bacon business, Oliver Carty & family, has been supporting Jack and Jill for a number of years now, and I was delighted to take that a step further, quite literally, by going Up the Hill for Jack and Jill last year… It’s a great way to get some fresh air, free your mind, catch up with friends and, most importantly, raise funds for a great cause.”
Little Grayson Adams (age three), from Beaumont in Dublin, has been diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), also known as tuberous sclerosis. This is a very rare genetic condition that causes non-cancerous (benign) tumours to grow in the brain and several areas of the body, including the spinal cord, nerves, eyes, lung, heart, kidneys, and skin. For mum Dawn Adams, the support provided by Jack and Jill means so much:
“Without Jack and Jill, I wouldn’t get any time to myself. Grayson’s care is 24 hours a day. His condition means he has global developmental delay, cognitive and physical delay, is non-verbal and cannot walk. He also suffers from chronic epilepsy and has multiple seizures every day. It’s impossible to get childcare because people are afraid to mind him because of the seizures.
“When Grayson is with his Jack and Jill nurse, I know that he is 100% safe so I can have a much-needed rest. This precious time is the only break I get where I can fully switch off. I use the time to sleep, shower or catch up on everyday things like laundry – little things that are simply impossible to do while caring for a child with such complex needs.”
For Dublin Footballer and GPA member Sinéad Wylde, every game is an endurance test. But the endurance capacity of Jack and Jill families in supporting their children day in, day out, is next-level:
“Jack and Jill is a gift of time for so many families who face very tough challenges in their home life. These families have a massive amount of resilience, but they need, and deserve, a break to enable them to recharge and face the next challenge. As a proud member of the Gaelic Players Association, I’m inviting our wonderful community of players and supporters to go Up the Hill with Jack and Jill, and the GPA, this summer, as we support these inspiring families who just need a helping hand every once in a while, from their Jack and Jill nurse.”
According to Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, going Up the Hill for Jack and Jill is a really valuable way to support the uphill challenge faced by Jack and Jill families in their daily lives.
“We know there is no care like home care for a Jack and Jill child, and we want to do everything that we can to support parents in caring for their child at home in their communities, where they belong. Every €18 raised helps to provide one hour of in-home nursing care and it really is a lifeline to so many families who face an uphill challenge every day. I hope people will come together for our extra-special Jack and Jill children to show them how much they care and to help make parents feel a little less isolated and alone in raising a child with highly complex medical needs.”
Partnering with the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation’s Up the Hill 2023 campaign is Abbott. For Conor Murphy, a Site Director with Abbott, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to helping local communities:
“Abbott are proud to be partnering with Jack and Jill and supporting their Up the Hill campaign. We have been inspired by Jack and Jill’s commitment to providing compassionate care to children and their families right across Ireland. We are excited to contribute to their vital work once again this year.”
Let’s stride forward together in this journey and make the Up the Hill for Jack and Jill 2023 fundraising campaign a resounding success! Register today at www.jackandjill.ie and start your journey Up the Hill for Jack and Jill.
Remember, every step taken, every hill climbed, and every €18 raised makes a significant difference. Let’s reach the summit together!